Disgruntled Haitian police attack army HQ

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian police demanding better working conditions shot up the army headquarters on Sunday, killing a serviceman and wounding another, the Defence Ministry said.

Media reports had said six people were wounded in the attack in Port-au-Prince by what the ministry said were gunmen wearing masks. "We are under siege. We are coming under fire with all kinds of weapons -- assault rifles, Molotov cocktails, tear gas," General Jodel Lessage told AFP earlier.

He said soldiers had returned fire but did not give an injury toll, nor could he say how many people were at the army headquarters, near the presidential palace, at the time of the attack. The situation remained tense as night fell in the city. For months, Haitian police have been demanding better working conditions, in particular the right to form a union so as to ensure transparency in talks with the police hierarchy.

Last week, some officers took to the street, blocking them and setting fire to cars. On Saturday, President Jovenel Moise announced measures designed to ease the crisis, including the creation of a compensation fund for families of police who die in the line of duty.